It was completely silent, except for the occasional drip of water or crackle of the torches on the wall. ChiChi walked lightly and steadily through the dark halls, stopping before every corner for a moment to assure herself that there was no danger ahead of her. However, as she walked on, she was increasingly aware that danger didn’t seem to be ahead of her, but behind her. It felt as though she were being followed. The Saiya-jin boots on her feet were soft and made no noise as she stepped on the hard stone floor; she moved as silently as a breeze, but she was still afraid that she was making too much noise. Although she wasn’t aware of any of the physical changes that had occurred in her body yet, she was acutely aware of the changes that had taken place in her strength and senses. The very small sounds that she heard while walking down the hallway were far, far away, and not something that she would normally hear. Her vision was sharper than it had ever been, even though the only light on her path were the small torches on either side of the wall. She could feel ki, and a great deal of it, generating from different directions of the castle, outside the castle, and outside the city. Worst of all was the smell. Some of the rooms she stepped past had been absolutely rancid in smell, so terrible that she had to hold her nose and fight to keep her stomach still. There was the smell of food as well, and it wasn’t until then that she realized how amazingly hungry she was. It was almost painful, all of this information, and her head swam with it as she walked.

She wasn’t quite sure what she planned to do, she only knew that she had to get out of the tower and into the open, where she could find her friends, find Gokuu. If the Saiya-jin army was preparing to rush out and kill them all, someone had to warn them, had to make sure that they would be kept safe. She had a feeling that complete chaos was about to break out. Inside the tower, she felt almost safe, for she had been walking the halls for a long while now, and no danger had befallen her yet. She was being very careful to be silent though, and using every one of her newly heightened senses to their full capability, trying to keep herself out of danger. And even though nothing had given her any indication of it, she still thought that she was being followed.

There was a sudden noise, a stumble of some sorts, and ChiChi’s footsteps stilled. She closed her eyes and strained her ears, listening. There was a low growl, more of a breath than anything, and then a very quiet beep. The beeping was heard again, louder this time, and ChiChi was almost positive that she could make out the sound of very light, controlled footsteps. There was another beep, and a click, and ChiChi narrowed her eyes, trying to discern what the noise could possibly be. When another quiet beep sounded, followed by several in a row, she realized with horror that it was a scanner. I was right. I’m being followed.

There was no point in trying to escape whoever it was that was tracking her, and ChiChi was well aware of this. All she could hope to do was to find her threat and possibly try to eliminate them. She didn’t know where this newfound sense of courage and strength was coming from, but it felt good to be that confident again. She turned and faced the hallway that she had come from, slowly easing a torch from it’s holder on the wall and carrying it straight out in front of her. Fire danced across her face in the shadows, and her eyes narrowed in concentration. Deep in the darkness further down the hall, she could discern a darker shape, in the form of a body, moving along the stone walls in silence.

“I know you’re there.” She told the faceless tracker. She held her head high and spoke out again, not even flinching when the shadow straightened up at the sound of her voice. “Why are you following me?”

There was a pause, and then out of the shadows stepped the biggest Saiya-jin she had ever seen. He stood nearly as tall as Piccolo, with muscles bulging out of his deep red uniform like balloons. A smirk was on his hideous face, and his upper lip curled in excitement as she blinked at the size of him.

What the hell was I thinking?! I should have just run away….The human part of her said, and she wavered for a moment, dropping the torch a bit. Then the Saiya-jin part in her slowly came to life, springing up with a sense of empowerment, running through her like cool, clear water, and touching her mind and heart with gentle courage. Look at what a challenge this is. It said. Test your strength, let yourself be powerful.

She rose her head again, and stared at the huge Saiya-jin straight in the eyes. When he stepped towards her on powerful, muscular legs, she stood her ground and crouched into a fighting position, waiting for him. She was right. If she wasn’t able to hold him off and discover whatever power there was in her blood, she would never make it out of this adventure alive. This was her one true test.

She dropped the torch at her side, and it fell into a nearby dark puddle, sizzling out and smoking up into the air. Darker now, she could barely make out the outlines of his body, and the glint of his armor in the firelight. He was moving towards her slowly like a cat, a smirk still painted on his ugly face.

With a roar that made her knees weak, he rushed at her suddenly, barreling towards her with his head bent down in an attempt to overtake immediately. Just before he reached her, she disappeared. He paused for a moment, as if he wasn’t sure how the human had outmaneuvered him, then he spun around to face her behind him, just as she wrapped her hands around his thick, furry tail. He opened his mouth and howled, freezing, then falling to the floor in agony, as ChiChi squeezed hard with every ounce of her new strength. His jaw clenched, he tried to crawl away from her, but she held on fast, squeezing harder as he attempted to move away. Though she was deeply involved in the battle before her, wrestling the giant Saiya-jin to the ground, she became aware of more footsteps and a voice. The huge Saiya-jin’s yelling had obviously alerted others in the hall. If she stayed here long enough, she would surely be discovered, and most likely killed. She cursed and let go of his tail, jumping away quickly so he would not be able to turn back on her.

As she spun around, she found another Saiya-jin in the hallway behind her, though not quite as large as the first. He swung a fist at her immediately, and it skimmed lightly along her jaw as she tilted her head back to dodge. Using her left hand, she dipped back and touched the stone floor, bending over backwards, then kicked as she flipped back up, catching the soldier square in the knee. The knee bent in backward, and the Saiya-jin cried out in pain, falling to the cold stone floor. She smiled in satisfaction, then suddenly felt strong, muscular arms wrap around her tiny neck.

She had forgotten about the other soldier, the giant Saiya-jin. She struggled against his hold, gripping his arms tightly with her small, pale hands, but it was no use. She could feel his heart racing through the metal of his armor, and when he breathed into her ear, it was hot and full of lust for death. He’s going to kill me! She thought desperately, and struggled as hard as she could against his huge body, kicking with all of her might as his burly legs.

There was a sudden light, and a blast from behind, and then both her and the giant Saiya-jin were flying through the air, though the Saiya-jin’s arms had already gone limp around her neck. They spun to the ground, ChiChi hitting first, and she quickly rolled to the right, not wanting to be squashed by the weight of his body. She slammed hard into the stone wall, splashing through the puddle on the ground, and sending the torch she had dropped earlier flying up into the air. The huge Saiya-jin fell to the floor with a thud that made the walls shake, and ChiChi scrambled to her feet quickly, turning to face the direction from which the blast had come.

She clutched her chest and panted, the shock of the fight still shooting through her heart like daggers. In the pale torchlight, she could just barely make out Koronu standing tall before her, her hands outstretched and a light red light surrounded her. The ki flickered for a moment, then extinguished, and Koronu dropped her hands to her sides, smiling softly at ChiChi.

“Looks like I showed up just in time.”

The Saiya-jin on the ground with the busted knee groaned, and attempted to get up off the floor, but sank his head down to the stone floor once more, his eyes on Koronu. ChiChi let out a deep breath and jumped over the bodies lightly, heading for Koronu. “Arigatou.” She said, and returned the smile. “That was amazing! He was huge, and you just killed him like it was nothing.”

“Let’s just say I have a lot of experience in killing guards.”

She turned towards ChiChi for a moment, then reached under her cloak and withdrew a cloak very similar to her own, the same color and material, with a silver clasp at the throat. “Put this on. The hood too. We should both be able to hide well within the city.”

Without a second thought , ChiChi flung the garment around her shoulders and fastened it tightly, dropping the hood over her head. The two of them looked nearly identical walking side by side through the dimly lit hallway, regal and strong, confident and assured. ChiChi had no idea where this new strength had come from, but she was beginning to enjoy it. Never before had she felt so completely confident, so strong and sharp.

“What is happening to me?” She asked Koronu quietly, not meeting the Saiya-jin women’s eyes. “I feel so very strange. And whatever just happened back there….It wasn’t me.”

“You’re right.” Koronu agreed. “It wasn’t you. And it’s going to be like that for a long time, I’m afraid. The Saiya-jin side of you is just now beginning to show, through the few injections that Potuto gave you.” Her eyes found ChiChi’s in the darkness and held them for a moment. “I know it wasn’t the happiest experience for you then, but you understand now why the Saiya-jin injections were necessary for you to survive in our culture.”

“I suppose I do.” She said thoughtfully, then held her arm out in front of her, testing the muscle as she walked.

“ChiChi, many things have happened.” Koronu began. “Both of our lives are in serious danger now, and I fear that things may not be as easy as I expected them to be. The army is mounting outside the castle walls, and they are going after your friends and family. I don’t know where Sukuashi and Pi had disappeared to, but I am worried that they are both seeking my head.”

“Is that what you wanted, though?” ChiChi questioned. “A chance to face Sukuashi alone and overpower him? You did get the code for the book, right? I found it in Sukuashi’s room, and gave it to---”

Koronu looked down with a sigh, and removed the book from the inside pocket of the cloak. “Hai, I read the book. But….I don’t understand it. I don’t understand how accounts of this nature are supposed to help me become Super Saiya-jin.”

“What do you mean?”

“The book merely describes each instance before the transformation and the transformation itself. There is no documentation of training or the methods in which one becomes a super Saiya-jin. It just….happens. As if there is only luck involved.” Koronu explained, looking tense and angry. “It seems as though becoming a Super Saiya-jin is a birthright, not something that you can achieve. I fear there isn’t much hope for me to overtake Sukuashi now. Without that incredible strength to back me up, I am nothing.”

ChiChi’s cheeks tinged red, and she looked down. “I don’t think that at all. You just saved my life back there. And you’ve held off Sukuashi for years and years now, fighting against oppression and opposition every day. If it’s strength that you’re searching for, it’s right there in your heart.”

Koronu paused for a moment and stilled her footsteps, lifting her eyes to stare ahead of her down the hallway. Her voice was bitter. “And you think strength of heart is all I need to overpower Sukuashi? You think strength of heart is going to protect me from his power?”

“Hai.” ChiChi answered quickly. “I think strength of heart is power.”

“Then power we have, dear Earthling.” Koronu murmured. “For both of our hearts are strong and true.” She looked at ChiChi curiously. “I never thought I would see a human fight for her freedom so, or have such a strength inside. Kakarroto surely made a wise decision when he chose you to be his mate.”

ChiChi gave her an impish smile. “You are mistaken. Gokuu didn’t choose me to be his mate --- I chose him.”

She rose her eyebrows in surprise, then laughed, a very foreign sound to both of their ears. “Somehow I think you and I must be of the same spirit, ChiChi. For I chose my own mate as well. Gokuu’s father was an incredible Saiya-jin.” Her smile slowly died, sliding back into a frown. “I only wish that I would have gotten to spend more time with him while we were both living on Vejiita.”

“Did Sukuashi take you away?” ChiChi asked gently, dark eyes peeking out from under her hood.

Koronu stared straight ahead again, her jaw set firmly. “Sukuashi took everything away. And now it is my time to get everything that I had lost before back. Starting with my freedom. Believe it or not, we are both working towards the same goal, ChiChi. You and I are both longing for the life we had before this place, before Sukuashi and before we became prisoners. It is sad to know that someone else had to go through the same torture that I went through when I was taken from my home. My only consolation is that you were not here long enough to grow mean and bitter like I have. I will never be the person that was long ago, and I will never be able to be by Bardoku’s side again, or see the moon rise above the cliffs of rage on planet Vejiita. But I can start living life for myself again, and perhaps learn what it is like to be free once more.”

ChiChi suddenly felt very sorry for the regal Saiya-jin woman before her. She knew that under those coal black eyes and stiff, emotionless expression, she had to be dying. There was nothing worse than having to live life in chains, or to live life waiting on something that would never come. Worse yet, to live in a place like this, where dreams were destroyed and shattered before you like ice, where the only warmth you received was from an injection of medication into your arm. All this time, she had her own memories of Earth and her family to get her by, but Koronu had nothing.

“Come back with us.” ChiChi said suddenly, surprising even herself.

“Nani?” Koronu questioned, looking at her, amazed.

“When it’s all over, and Sukuashi is gone, come back to Earth with us.” ChiChi repeated.

“Do you mean that?”

“Hai.” ChiChi confirmed, liking the idea of it more and more. “You could meet your grandchildren….Know your son.”

Koronu’s face softened slightly, and she looked at ChiChi with an expression that was almost thankful. “If they are anything like you, dear Earthling, I would be glad to.”

The two of them continued down the hallway together, tall and strong, dimly lit by the torches on either side. In silence they walked with matching footsteps, their cloaks billowing softly behind them, like a trail, casting shadows along the cold stone walls. There was a war about to begin outside, but for the moment, only the two of them existed, and a new bond formed between them, like that of mother and daughter, something that they had both needed for a very long time.

Chapter 54
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